Preview: 6A Playoffs Week 3 in Central Texas

The number of teams from Central Texas continues to get shorter as playoffs continue, but there is still a lot of talent to watch out for this week as the third round begins. The holidays are here, and the gift of high school playoffs is the gift that keeps on giving. These are the players to look out for this week. 1. Steele vs United South (Saturday at 1 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60376" first="Wyatt" last="Begeal"] (S)</strong> - Steele comes off of a win over Round Rock in overtime and the junior quarterback is one of the reasons as to why the Knights came away with a win. Begeal did more work on the ground than he did through the air, rushing for 117 yards and one touchdown. Although, Begeal has shown his abilities through both the air and ground all season, throwing for 1,493 yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions and rushing for a total of 719 yards and 12 touchdowns. Begeal is one of the scoring machines for Steele alongside junior running back Josh Fahrner.</li> <li><strong>Josh Fahrner (S)</strong> - Speaking of, he is another player to watch in this contest between Steele and United South. This is because, in the close game against Round Rock, Fahrner was one of the other few to score a touchdown. He also rushed for 96 yards. Alongside Fahrner and the defensive work of sophomore defensive back <strong>Javon Bejarano</strong>, recovering a fumble for a touchdown, and the kicking of senior <strong>Cameron Hawk</strong>, these players were the reason Steele came away with the win over an impressive Round Rock team. Both Begeal and Fahrner have been the main scorers this season for the Knights, and they will need to continue to do the same when they take on United South.</li> </ul> 2. Westlake vs Stevens (Saturday at 1 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Michael Taafe (W)</strong> - Although junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="60713" first="Cade" last="Klubnik"] received a game ball from his performance, the senior wide receiver Taafe is one to watch after his performance against Smithson Valley. He had four receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Taafe averaged 26.5 yards per reception and was just on fire. The Smithson Valley defense had no answers for him, or his teammate sophomore wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="60848" first="Jaden" last="Greathouse"]. Stevens already faces an uphill battle when taking on the offensive juggernaut of Westlake, but if the Falcons hope to pull off an upset, they will need to cover this duo.</li> <li><strong>Kevin Brashears (S)</strong> - In a close win over Harlingen, it was the sophomore quarterback who pulled out all the stops when Stevens was behind in the second half. Brashears finished the game scoring three touchdowns, one on the ground and two through the air. In what has been recorded on MaxPreps, Brashears has 1,898 passing yards and 15 touchdowns with four interceptions this season while also rushing for 484 yards and nine touchdowns. The points go through Brashears at Stevens, and if the Falcons pull off a major upset, Brashears will have to play his best football this season and have help from the defense.</li> </ul> 3. Vandegrift vs Brennan (Saturday at 2 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Bowen Lewis (V)</strong> - Although not scoring any points, Lewis was likely a big help for the Vipers as they won a tough, defensive contest against San Antonio Roosevelt. Lewis finished the game with 122 yards in 13 carries, averaging 9.4 yards a carry. There was not a lot of scoring period, since the game ended 14-7 with Vandegrift taking the win, but Lewis still showed he could gain a lot of yards despite some great defensive play. Brennan is another tough opponent, but since Lewis has already shown his ability, he is one to watch in this game especially since he has the potential to break into the endzone multiple times if given the chance.</li> </ul> 4. Hays vs Taft (Thursday at 1 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Michael Boudoin (H)</strong> - The Rebels came off of a tough win against Johnson, 35-31, but one of the reasons Hays came away with a win was the performance by Boudoin, who rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 11.2 yards per carry, showcasing his ability to help get his team first downs and move down the field. In what has been recorded on MaxPreps, Boudoin has shown his capability of providing yards and scoring. One of his best performances was against Akins when he rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns on Oct. 9. Boudoin will be one to watch especially taking on Taft, who won by forfeit last week and is a little bit hindered by not having that game to learn and instead having two weeks of practice.</li> </ul>